THE WAR HISTORIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 59

THE WAR HISTORIES

AN UNSATISFACTORY POSITION. WELLINGTON, June Jo. A statement ha.s been made here that “most of the official histories recording the Part played by New Zealand in the* war are still in course of preparation.” As a matter of fact there has been great delay in the printing of these. They have been in the hands of the Defence Department for about two years now. Moreover, it is only the so-called “popular histories” and the regimental histories that ure being undertaken. These may or may. not bo popular, but as history'they ere certainly very inadequate. The Gallipoli history is a ease in point. Fc-r in it what was probably the finest feat of arms by the New Zealanders i n the whole war —the assault on Chunuk Bair—receives but scant justice, while pages are devoted to unimportant matter. Colonel Stewart’s popular hislory of the western front was written mainly in England before the last drafts of troops had left- there, but it has not yet seen the light. As a matter of fact, he so greatly exceeded the limit of the number cf words imposed by the defence authorities that the publishers had to demand a much larger sum from the Government than was originally arranged for. Colonel Stewart, it is understood, objected to the cutting down of his manuscript. After some negotiations between the Government and the publishers, in which the Grown Law Officers and the principal legal representative participated. it is now understood that an agreement was arrived at, and that this popular story is at last in the hands of the printer. Colonel Powles’s popular history of ilia Palestine campaign is not yet being dealt with. The mistake made by the Defence Department was, of course, its failure to provide for a real history of New Zealand’s part in the war. '.Such a full and adequate history, which will bo a splendid memorial of Australia’s part in the war, lias been under preparation ever since the war ceased, and the first volume is just about ro be published—-if it has not already been published,—but in New Zealand nothing is done. P is only fair to state that the authorities at present in control of ihe Defence Department are not to blame for the muddle in which the dominion lia6 been involved in regard to war histories. This dates back to the days of the former regime, which apparently took a very narrow view of embalming the glorious dec,is of New Zealand’s soldiers in a history that would be worthy of their achievements.